Riveting machine



Feb. 8, 1944. A. WARD RIVETING MACHINE Original Filed June 3, 1938 Patented Feb. 8, 1944 Loyd A.

Ward, Detroit, Mich.,

assignor to Tomkins-Johnson Company, Jackson, Mich, a

corporation of Michigan Original application June 3, 1938, Serial No.

211,500, now Patent No. 2,306,851, dated December 29, 1942.

Divided and this application March 16, 1942, Serial No. 434,840

Claims. (01. 78-48) This invention relates to riveting machines and more particularly to riveting machines hydraulically actuated and designed forwork on aluminum alloy constructions, such as in aircraft manufacture. I

In the production riveting of aircraft structures and the like great uniformity and precision are essential. -It has been found that these desiderata, together with speed of operation, can be obtained by the use of a riveting machine wherein the rivetis suspended beneath a downwardly facing anvil, to receive the work thereon prior to headingsup, and providing an upwardly facing set which is hydraulically actuated to upset the rivet on the work. The present invention includes these features, and the structure disclosed is illustrative of a way in which the invention can be carried out. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 211,500, filed June 3, 1938, now Patent No. 2,306,851, dated December 29, 1942.

An object of the invention is to provide a riveting machine having structure to support a rivet beneath a downwar'dlyfacing anvil, and an upwardly movable set to head up the rivet.

Another object of the invention is to provide fixed downwardly facing anvil having movable jaws associatedtherewith. 1

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fixed downwardly facing anvil having movable jaws associated therewith and mechanism for timing movement of the jaws and the feeding of a rivet thereto.

These and other objects residing in the arrangement, combination and construction of the parts will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a partial vertical. section of the invention, and 1 Fig. 2 is a partial side view, partly in section, of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the reference character I indicates clamping jaws for holding a rivet while work to be riveted is manipulated to dispose a rivet held in the jaws I in a rivet hole inthe work. The jaws I are of the character disclosed in my copending appli cation, Serial No..101,210,filed September 17, 1936, and are mounted on depending cantilever leaf springs 2 secured on opposite sides of the block 3 slidable in a vertical passageway 4. The jaws I, the cantilever leaf springs 2 and the block 3 are arranged tomove upwardly and to be spread'by the anvil-5 when a set Bis moved upwardly to upset the rivet. The jaws I are thus moved completely out of position between the anvil 5 and the set 6.

Movementof the set 6 is accomplished by a hydraulic piston I acting against a piston rod 8 connected to the set 6. The piston 'I reciprocates in a cylinder 9 under the control of a hydraulic distributing valve In, which is actuated by a foot pedal II. The valve I0 is arranged to conduct hydraulic fluid under pressure from a source I2 through a conduit I3 into the cylinder 9 beneath the piston I to move the piston rod 8 and thus the set G'upwardly. At the same time, exhaust hydraulic fluid from the cylinder 9 above the piston I is exhausted through the conduit I4, the valve l0 and the outlet I5. When a predetermined pressure hasbeen reached, the valve IIl automatically acts to admit hydraulic fluid from the source I2 to the'conduit I4 into the cylinder 9 above the piston I to withdraw the set 6. At the same time fluid is exhausted from the lower side of the cylinder 9 to the conduit I3 and the outlet I5 of the valve I0.

The valve In is also provided with a compressed air distributing valve 20, conventional in structure and arranged to conduct air from a compressed air source 2I through the conduit 22 to the upper end of a cylinder 23, in which is disposed a piston 24 having connected thereto a piston rod 25. The piston rod 25 has connected to the lower end thereof ayoke 26, to the ends of which are connected rods 21 and 28.

The function of the piston 24, and the rods 2! and 28 which it controls, is for moving the rivet clamping jaws I downwardly into rivet clamping position and to prepare the jaws I for receiving another rivet for the next riveting operation. The rod 21 is movable vertically in the vertical passageway 4 and is arranged to engage with the top of the block 3 to force the same downwardly, thereby forcing the jaws I downwardly off the anvil 5, on the opposite sides of which they have been forced by the upcoming work pushed by the set 6. It will be clear that when the jaws I are disposed on the opposite sides ofthe anvil 5, they are spread apart and resiliently urged against the sides of the anvil 5 by the leaf springs 2. In order to keep the jaws I slightly spread apart after they have moved to their lower position so that a new rivet may be disposed therebetween, a Wedge 29 at the lower end of the rod 28 is arranged to move between the jaws I while they are still spread apart by the anvil 5. It will thus be clear that the normal distance between the top of the jaws l and the bottom of the wedge 29 is less than the distance between the bottom of the rod 21 and the top of the block 3. Thus, by the time the rod 21 strikes the top of the block 3, the wedge 29 will already have moved into position between the jaws I to hold them apart.

The valve 2|] is arranged to operate in'such a' manner that as the valve l reverses the movement of the piston 'I to move it downwardly, compressed air is admitted through the valve 20 and?! the conduit 22 to the cylinder 23 to lower the piston 24 with the results described. By the the top of the block 3 to move the jaws I down into starting position. As the rod 28 moves down-wardly, the shoulder 41 thereon actuates time the piston I reaches the bottom of its stroke; the distributing valve 20 automatically operates to disconnect the inlet 2I from the conduit 22' and to connect the conduit 22 to the exhaust 30 to exhaust compressed air from the cylinder 23, The result is that the spring 3,I,-'bear-ing against the piston 24 and the lower end of the cylinder 23, resiliently urges the piston 24, and together with it the piston rod 25, the yoke 26 and the rods 21 and 28, into their upper positions. However, in the meantime, selecting mechanism 32 has been actuated to dispose a new rivet between the jaws I, so that as the rod 28 is. raised from between the jaws I, the new, rivet is'clamped therebetween and is ready to receive the work thereover.

The rivet selecting mechanism 32 comprises a transversely movable shuttle or selector 33 of the character described in the copending application of'Loyd A. Ward et al., Serial No. 192,946, filed February 28; 1938. The selector 33 is associated witha chute 34 and ismoved laterally to select a rivet.:.from the chute 34 and to let it fall by gravity down the chute 35 to position it between the jaws I.

The mechanism for laterally reciprocating the selector '33 comprises a lever 40 oscillatable about a pivot M and yieldingly urged upwardly by a spring 42. The lever 40 has connected thereto a leaf spring 43, which is in operative engagement with a horizontally slidable member 44 recip- 4 rocable horizontally as the lever is oscillated about the pin M. The opposite end of the member 44 is provided with an outwardly extending cantilever leaf spring 45 disposed in a slot 46 in the selector 33. The lever 40 is oscillated about the pin M by a shoulder 41 comprising a portion of the rod 28, Thus, as the rod 28 moves downwardly under the action of the piston 24 and the piston rod 25, the lever 40 is oscillated downwardly against the action of the spring 42 to move the leaf spring 43 to laterally move the member 44, which, through the leaf spring 45, laterally moves the selector 33 to select a single rivet from the chute 34 to let it fall by gravity into the chute 35. It will be understood that as the piston 24 moves upwardly to move the rod 28 upwardly to remove the wedge 29 from between the jaws I to clamp the rivet therebetween, the lever 4|] is moved upwardly under the action of the spring 42 to-set the selector 3 for the next selectingoperation.

v The operation of the invention is as follows: The work is moved over the rivetheld between the jaws I. The; operator then moves down the foot pedal I I, which admits hydraulic fluid to the cylinder- 9 to move the piston I upwardly to upset the rivet by means of the set 6. The set 6 has operatively associated with it a conventional stripper 48. As the set 6 moves the work upwardly, the'jaws I are spread over the anvil 5 until they; are out of position between the anvil 5 and the set 6. When a predetermined pressure has beenreached, the hydraulically controlled valve the selecting mechanism 32 through the lever 43 to move'the selector 33 to dispose a rivet from the chute 34 into position between the jaws I. At the timethe piston I reaches its lowermost position, the compressed air distributing valve 23 acts to automatically exhaust the compressed air from the top of the cylinder 23 to permit the spring 3| to move the piston 24, and thus the piston rod 25, and the rods 21 and 28, upwardly to permit the' leaf spring'2to clamp the jaws I against the rivet held therebetween for the next riveting operation. a

From the foregoing specification it-will be clear that the present invention is not limited to a single form of structure, and tha't the disclosed embodiment of the inventionjis 'only One form that the invention may take. It will-be further understood that where. automatic and semiautomatic controls have been used,:other controls of a like nature performing 'equivalent:functions may be used if desired; While 'it has: been hereinabove set forthuthat the present invention is particularly adaptableforruse onraluminum alloy constructions and: in 'aircrait'ma'nufacture, it is to be understood that the inventionlis not limited to any of these uses. 4-1.1; 1:;

Having thus describedsmy*invention; what I desire to secure bylietters Patent (and claim .is:

1. In a riveting -machine, an anvil." a pair of rivet clamping jaws -arranged to clamp'a rivet in operative relation to said anvil,"-mea'ns supporting said jaws arranged"to permit'said jaws to 'move over said anvil duringthelieading up operation of the machine, meansto ieedla rivet tosaid jaws when disposed awayfrom saidifanvil, 'means to move said jaws after the heading up operation and at the same time to h'oldsaid jaws apart for receiving therebetween'a rivet from said rivet feeding means, and means to withdraw said holding means from operativeposition' to permit said jaws to clamp the rivet fed to them therein, a set, and means to move saidi'set toward said anvil to upset the rivet against said anvil; a

2. In ariveting machinela downwardlyfacing anvil, a pair of rivetclampingxjaws associated with said anvil arranged to normally'tclamp a rivet beneath said anvil. and in operative relation thereto, means supporting said jaws arranged-to permit said'jaws to move upwardly over said anvil during the.heading up operation of the ma! chine, a rivet selector, means'to actuate said selector, means to'move said jaws downwardly after the heading up operation and 'a't the same time to hold said jaws apartv for receiving therebetween a rivet from said selector;.and means to withdraw said holding means fromgoperative .position to permit said jaws to clamp therivet fed to them therein, an upwardly facing set, and means to move said set upwardly to upset the rivet against saidanvil. in w 3. In a riveting machine, ananvil, a pair of rivet clamping jaws arrangedto clamp, a rivet in operative relation to said anvil, means sup-.-

porting said jaws arranged to permit said jaws to move over said anvil during the heading up operation of the machine, a rivet selector, means to actuate said selector, means to move said jaws after the heading up operation and at the same time to hold said jaws apart for receiving therebetween a rivet from said selector, and means to withdraw said holding means from operative position to permit said jaws to clamp the rivet fed to them therein, a set, and means to move said set toward said anvil to upset the rivet against said anvil.

4. In a riveting machine, a downwardly facing anvil, a pair of rivet clamping jaws associated with said anvil arranged to normally hold a rivet beneath said anvil and in operative relation thereto, means supporting said jaws arranged to permit said jaws to move upwardly over said anvil during the heading up operation of the machine, a rivet selector, means to move said jaws downwardly after the heading up operation and at the same time to hold said jaws apart for receiving therebetween a rivet from said selector, means operatively connected to said holding means for actuating said selector, and means to withdraw said holding means from operative position to permit said jaws to clamp the rivet fed to them therein, an upwardly facing set, and means to move said set upwardly to upset the rivet against said anvil.

5. In a riveting machine, an anvil, a pair of rivet clamping jaws arranged to clamp a rivet in operative relation to said anvil, means supporting said jaws arranged to permit said jaws to move over said anvil during the heading up operation of the machine, means to feed a rivet to said jaws when disposed away from said anvil, means to move said jaws after the heading up operation and at the same time to hold said jaws apart for receiving therebetween a rivet from said rivet feeding means, said last named means comprising a yoke having a projecting member for lowering said jaws and a second projecting member having a portion for insertion between said jaws for holding the same apart, and means to withdraw said yoke to withdraw said holding means from operative position to permit said jaws to clamp the rivet fed into them therein, and at the same time to withdraw said first named projecting member from jaw lowering position, a set, and means to move said set toward said anvil to upset the rivet against said anvil.

LOYD A. WARD. 

